Jody Wilson-Raybould
Jody Wilson-Raybould PC OBC KC (born March 23, 1971), also known by her initials JWR[2][3] and by her Kwak’wala name Puglaas,[4][5] is a Canadian lawyer, author, and former politician who served as the member of Parliament (MP) for the British Columbia (BC) riding of Vancouver Granville from 2015 to 2021. She was initially elected as a member of the Liberal Party – serving as justice minister and attorney general from 2015 to 2019, and briefly as veterans minister and associate national defence minister in 2019 – until she resigned in response to statements from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the SNC-Lavalin affair. She was later expelled from caucus and continued to sit in Parliament as an Independent and was reelected in 2019, but did not run in 2021. Before entering federal politics, she was a BC provincial Crown prosecutor, a treaty commissioner and regional chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations.
Jody Wilson-Raybould
Early life and education[edit]
Wilson-Raybould's mother is a Euro-Canadian and her father is a descendant of the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk and Laich-kwil-tach peoples, which are part of the Kwakwakaʼwakw, also known as the Kwak’wala-speaking peoples. She is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation. Wilson-Raybould carries the Kwak’wala name Puglaas which roughly translates to "woman born to noble people".[6][7]
Wilson-Raybould is the daughter of Bill Wilson, a First Nations hereditary chief, politician, and lawyer, and Sandra Wilson, a teacher.[8] She was born at Vancouver General Hospital. On Canadian national television in 1983, Wilson-Raybould's father informed then-Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau that his two daughters hoped to become lawyers and then Prime Minister some day.[8][9] Her parents divorced when Wilson-Raybould was a small child and she was raised by her mother[10] on Vancouver Island, attending Robert Scott Elementary School in Port Hardy, British Columbia, where her mother also taught, and later Comox, British Columbia, graduating from Highland Secondary School.[11]
Wilson-Raybould studied political science and history at the University of Victoria where she was awarded her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996.[12][13] She then studied for a law degree from the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law. She married Tim Raybould (b. 1966), a First Nations consultant, lobbyist and social anthropologist, on November 29, 2008.[14]
Career[edit]
Crown Prosecutor (2000–2003)[edit]
Wilson-Raybould is a lawyer by profession and was called to the bar in 2000 after articling at the Vancouver law firm of Connell Lightbody. She was a provincial Crown prosecutor in Vancouver's Main Street criminal courthouse in the Downtown Eastside, Canada's poorest neighbourhood, for three years from 2000 to 2003.[15] Defence lawyer Terry La Liberté described her as a smart, fair, and skilled prosecutor who treated defendants with compassion, saying, "She has actually talked to the people who are affected. She has worked with these people and made choices about their future in a really meaningful way."[16] Wilson-Raybould called it an eye-opening experience, saying, “I always knew that there was an over-representation of indigenous peoples and vulnerable people in the criminal justice system but it became certainly more pronounced to me being down there for almost four years." She also said her experience as a prosecutor reconfirmed her commitment to public service and its importance.[17]
BC Treaty Commission[edit]
In 2003, she took a position as a process advisor at the BC Treaty Commission, a body established to oversee the negotiations of modern treaties between First Nations and the Crown. In 2004, she was elected commissioner by the chiefs of the First Nations Summit. She served as commissioner for nearly seven years, one and a half of which she spent as the acting chief commissioner, earning a reputation for bringing opposing sides together in the complex treaty negotiation process. City of Vancouver first-ever Aboriginal Relations Manager[18] Ginger Gosnell-Myers, then a youth representative on roundtables Wilson-Raybould organized, said working with her as a young person "felt like I was being heard for the first time in a process that was normally exclusionary. She went out of her way to make sure that this diversity was reflected".[16] As a Commissioner, she helped to advance a number of treaty tables, including Tsawwassen First Nation, which became the first in BC to achieve a treaty under the BC Treaty Process.[19] Wilson-Raybould also helped the establishment of a "Common Table" of 60 plus First Nations and the Crown.[20]
We Wai Kai Council[edit]
Wilson-Raybould was elected to council for the We Wai Kai Nation in January 2009, a role that she credits for strengthening her understanding and commitment to work at the provincial and national level advocating for First Nations' governance.[21] As a councillor for We Wai Kai she was instrumental in helping her community develop a land code and to move out from under the Indian Act. As a result of this work she was appointed as her nation's representative to the national First Nations Lands Advisory Board (LAB), and was subsequently elected from among her peers to sit as a board member for the LAB as well as a member of the finance committee.[22]
As councillor for We Wai Kai Nation, Wilson-Raybould was also central to We Wai Kai developing a financial administration law (establishing a transparency and accountability through regulatory framework for establishing budgets and controlling expenditures), assuming property taxation powers under the First Nations Fiscal Management Act[23] and becoming a borrowing member of the First Nations Finance Authority (FNFA). Wilson-Raybould was appointed the We Wai Kai representative to the FNFA. The borrowing members of the FNFA elected Wilson-Raybould as chair in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The FNFA is a not-for-profit that pools the public borrowing requirements of qualifying First Nations and issues bonds on the strength of a central credit. Under Wilson-Raybould, the FNFA issued its inaugural debenture in 2014 in the amount $96 million. This issue was reopened in 2015 adding an additional $50 million.[24]
BC Assembly of First Nations[edit]
Wilson-Raybould was first elected regional chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations in 2009. The regional chief is elected by the 203 First Nations in BC.[25] She is credited with bringing the chiefs together, which was reflected in her being re-elected regional chief in November 2012. She won on the first ballot with nearly 80% of the vote.[26]
As regional chief, Wilson-Raybould concentrated on the need for nation building, good governance, and empowering indigenous peoples to take the practical steps necessary to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to realize the promise of the recognition of aboriginal and treaty rights in section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. She focused on reconciliation between First Nations and the province of BC and Canada by advancing 1) the cause of First Nations' strong and appropriate governance, 2) fair access to lands and resources, 3) improved education and 4) individual health. In 2011 and 2012, Wilson-Raybould co-authored the BCAFN Governance Toolkit: A Guide to Nation Building. Part 1 of the Governance Toolkit – The Governance Report, which has been acclaimed as the most comprehensive report of its kind in Canada, setting out what First Nations in BC are doing with respect to transitioning their governance from under the Indian Act to a post-colonial world based on recognition of aboriginal title and rights.[21]
In 2012, Wilson-Raybould and the BCAFN launched Part 2 of the Governance Toolkit – The Governance Self-Assessment and Part 3 – Guide to Community Engagement: Navigating Our Way Beyond the Post-Colonial Door. In 2014, a second edition of The Governance Report was released.[21] In 2015, Wilson-Raybould and the BCAFN released A User's Guide to the BCAFN Governance Toolkit: Supporting Leaders of Change.
Wilson-Raybould held portfolio responsibilities on the Assembly of First Nations national executive for governance and nation building, the Chiefs Committee on Claims (including additions to reserve and specific claims) and chaired the comprehensive claims joint working group. During her first terms as Regional Chief, Wilson-Raybould worked with colleagues, including Senator Gerry St. Germain to introduce Bill S-212, the First Nations Self-Government Recognition Act.[27] This Senate public bill would have provided a mechanism for First Nations to be recognized by the federal government as "self-governing" following the development of an internal constitution and after a community ratification vote on a self-government proposal. The bill died on the order paper.
Wilson-Raybould participated in the 2012 Crown–First Nations Gathering delivering a strong message on the need to resolve First Nations issues including the need for governance reform and moving beyond the Indian Act to support a strong economy.[28] In the wake of the Idle No More protests and despite criticism from some First Nation leaders, Wilson-Raybould participated in high-level talks with then Prime Minister Stephen Harper. She expressed concern that very little progress had been made nationally on First Nations' issues since the 2012 First Nations–Crown Gathering and suggested concrete solutions to these issues. She stated her message very straightforwardly as follows: societies that govern well simply do better economically, socially and politically than those that do not. Good governance increases societies' chances of meeting the needs of their peoples and developing sustainable long-term economic development, and that First Nations are no different.
Wilson-Raybould attributes the lack of progress by the Conservative government during this time as one of her motivations to run for the federal Liberals in the 2015 federal election.
Volunteering[edit]
Wilson-Raybould has served as a director of Capilano University.[29] As a former board member for the Minerva Foundation for BC Women (2008–2010), Wilson-Raybould was instrumental in the development of the "Combining Our Strength Initiative"[30] – a partnership of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women. In addition to her duties as director of the Lands Advisory Board and Chair of the First Nations Finance Authority Wilson-Raybould has also been a director of the Nuyumbalees Cultural Centre since 2013.[31]
Wilson-Raybould has spoken publicly on such topics as aboriginal law, treaties, the environment, financial transparency, good governance and reconciliation. Prior to federal politics, she made numerous presentations before parliamentary committees including the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, the Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples and the House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples and Northern Development. Wilson-Raybould has travelled extensively to work on Indigenous peoples' rights and leadership issues, including to the Philippines, Taiwan and Israel.
Author[edit]
Wilson-Raybould has published three books: From Where I Stand: Rebuilding Indigenous Nations for a Stronger Canada (2019), "Indian" in the Cabinet (2021), and True Reconciliation (2022).
Federal politics[edit]
Nomination and candidacy[edit]
Wilson-Raybould was the co-chair of the 2014 Biennial Liberal Convention held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She secured the nomination for Vancouver Granville on July 31, 2014. Wilson-Raybould was seen to be close to Liberal leader Justin Trudeau who approached her to run for the Liberals during the 2013 AFN Annual General meeting in Whitehorse.[32] Her areas of core policy concern and competence include: democratic reform, balancing the environment and the economy, Aboriginal affairs and affordable housing.[33] Wilson-Raybould visited the Great Bear Rainforest with Justin Trudeau in 2014.[34]
Following the announcement of the nomination, Chief Isadore Day of the Serpent River First Nation (located in Ontario), alleged that Wilson-Raybould was in conflict of interest by continuing to act as regional chief while holding the Liberal Party nomination. Wilson-Raybould denied that her decision to run gave rise to a conflict. In response to Chief Day's allegation, the BC Assembly of First Nations adopted a unanimous resolution in support of Wilson-Raybould, and expressed full confidence she would be able to continue to perform her duties as regional chief while also serving as a Liberal candidate. Numerous First Nations supporters rallied behind Wilson-Raybould on social media, calling her a figure who could make "changes from the inside" and harshly criticizing Chief Day for meddling in BC affairs. "Chief Isadore Day has time to write letters about B.C., while his own community struggles?" wrote one member of Serpent River First Nation in a Facebook post.[35] Wilson-Raybould said she would take a leave of absence during the campaign and if a conflict did arise before then, she would resign.
Wilson-Raybould stepped down from the position of regional chief in June 2015 in accordance with the transition plan approved in September 2014[36] by consensus of the chiefs following her nomination.
2015 Election[edit]
Wilson-Raybould was elected in the October 19, 2015 general election, obtaining 43.9% of the vote.[37][38]
Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2015–2019)[edit]
Wilson-Raybould began serving as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (MOJAG) on November 4, 2015, becoming the first Indigenous person and third woman to hold the office.[39] On November 12, 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave Wilson-Raybould her mandate letter, which asked her to deliver on, among other matters, responding to the Supreme Court of Canada's decision on medical assistance in dying, reviewing the government's litigation strategy, conducting a review of the changes in the criminal justice system and sentencing reforms over the previous decade (including looking to increase the use of restorative justice processes and other initiatives to reduce the rate of incarceration amongst Indigenous Canadians), creating the process to legalize and strictly regulate cannabis, restoring a modern Court Challenges Program, introducing government legislation to add gender identity as a prohibited ground for discrimination under Canadian law, and reforming the Supreme Court of Canada nomination process to ensure that it is transparent, inclusive and accountable to Canadians.[40] In December 2016, along with Ralph Goodale, the minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, she submitted the National Security Green Paper, "Our Security, Our Rights: National Security Green Paper, 2016",[41] a consultation paper aimed at informing further public discussion on issues of national security.
During the first six months in office, she introduced major legislation on medical assistance in dying, one of her key mandate letter commitments. In collaboration with her colleague, Minister of Health Jane Philpott, Wilson-Raybould led the effort to pass Bill C-14, which received royal assent on June 17, 2016.[42]
Wilson-Raybould also introduced Bill C-16, which amended the Canadian Human Rights Act to add gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds for discrimination, which was another key mandate letter commitment. The legislation also amended the Criminal Code to extend protections against hate propaganda, and it received royal assent on June 16, 2017.[43]
Awards and recognition[edit]
In 2011, Wilson-Raybould was awarded a Minerva Foundation for BC Women award. In 2012, she received the distinguished alumni award from the University of Victoria. She has also been included in Vancouver Magazines "Power 50" (2012 and 2014).[136] In 2015, Wilson-Raybould was selected by the Canadian Board Diversity Council as a Diversity 50 candidate, a list of Canada's most diverse board ready candidates.[137]
On April 6, 2017, Wilson-Raybould received the inaugural Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, Indigenous Women in Leadership Award.[138] The 2018 award winner was Roberta L. Jamieson, the first First Nation woman in Canada to earn a law degree, and the president and CEO of Indspire.[139]
Wilson-Raybould was featured in Paulina Cameron's 2017 book Canada 150 Women: Conversations with Leaders, Champions, and Luminaries which profiles the achievements and struggles of ground-breaking female role models.[140]
In 2017, Wilson-Raybould was named Policy-Maker of the Year by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.[141] She was featured in their December 2017 edition of their magazine 'Inside Policy'.[142]
In 2018, Wilson-Raybould was recognized by Harvard Women's Law Association as one of their 2018 International Women's Day Honourees[143] and provided a keynote address at their annual event.[144]
MADD Canada honoured Wilson-Raybould as the recipient of a 2018 Citizen of Distinction award for her outstanding efforts to strengthen Canada's impaired driving laws, and in particular her contributions to bringing forward Bill C-46. The Citizen of Distinction Award is presented annually to individuals, groups or organizations that have made a major provincial/territorial or national contribution to the anti-impaired driving movement in Canada, leaving a lasting legacy in the areas of research, prevention and education, legal issues or victim issues.[145]
On March 7, 2018, Wilson-Raybould, alongside Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), unveiled an Inuit inukshuk which had been donated to the ICC by the Government of Canada to mark Canada's support for the ICC. The unveiling took place at the ICC's premises in The Hague.[146]
Her book Indian in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power was a nominee for the 2021 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy.[147]
